


One Of Their Own

by PockySquirrel



Category: Power Rangers Megaforce
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-05
Updated: 2014-01-05
Packaged: 2018-01-07 13:24:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1120337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PockySquirrel/pseuds/PockySquirrel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Allies are forced to become enemies when Metal Alice abducts and reprograms Robo Knight, turning him against the Rangers. A Megaforce adaptation of Goseiger episodes 47 and 48.</p>
            </blockquote>





	One Of Their Own

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TheSecondBatgirl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSecondBatgirl/gifts).



Vrak found himself in an excellent mood as he strolled through his base in the direction of Metal Alice's lab. It felt good to be off the ship, away from that blowhard Malkor and his idiot ideas. Vrak was more than content to let him continue beating his head in futility against the wall of opposition that was the Power Rangers, all the while laboring under the delusion that he was actually the one in charge. Vrak knew the truth, after all, and he had bigger plans. 

“Good morning, Metal Alice,” he greeted his creation. “I trust you have a new robot ready to engage the Rangers in battle?”

“I do, Master,” the mechanoid replied. “However, I have also taken the liberty of developing a different plan as well, one I hope will be to your liking.”

Vrak was fascinated enough by Metal Alice's capacity for inventiveness – an aspect of her programming that was functioning more effectively than he could have imagined when he coded it – that he was willing to indulge her. “I'm listening; do go on.”

“I have been considering the threat posed by Robo Knight,” she explained. “As a robot, he is naturally a more formidable enemy than any mere human. But as a robot, he is also governed by the commands of his most basic programming. I have devised a means of altering Robo Knight's programming. If we can capture him and hold him here long enough to be reprogrammed, it will force him to abandon his insistence on allying with the humans. He will fight for us, as he should.”

A slow, cold smile spread over Vrak's face. “A brilliant idea, and I know precisely how to execute it. We will use your new robot as a diversion to keep the Rangers from coming to Robo Knight's aid. And since he is as formidable as you say, I will join the attack and bring him to you personally. Try as they may, the Rangers won't stand a chance against one of their own!”

***

Their morphers went off just before the bell rang, forcing the Rangers to cut class. At least it was Mr. Burley's class; the science teacher was suspiciously understanding of their absences, to the point that the Rangers had wondered whether or not he suspected their identities. 

“Man, these guys have the worst timing,” Jake complained. “If I'm not back in time for English, I'm going to get detention. Again.”

“Then let's try to make this quick,” Troy replied. “It's morphin' time!”

They morphed and raced to the source of the disturbance. Vrak himself was waiting for them there, alone, curiously unaccompanied by the usual collection of Loogies. 

“Planning on fighting your own battle for once, Vrak?” Troy challenged. 

“Oh, I hardly think that would be a worthwhile use of my time,” Vrak replied in a smug tone. “Although, depending on how you fare against Metal Alice's latest creation, I might just take pity and finish you off myself.”

“Fat chance!” Jake shot back. 

As the Black Ranger moved to attack, Vrak summoned the monster with a snap of his fingers. The beast resembled a two-headed, armored, mechanical bull with razor-tipped horns, and it wasted no time charging the Rangers. It intercepted Jake first and sent him flying. The other Rangers didn't fare much better, and before long all five of them had been knocked to the ground as Vrak looked on, smirking. And waiting. 

“Your threat to the Earth will not be tolerated,” the awaited voice intoned from behind. 

Vrak turned leisurely on his heel to find Robo Knight facing him, weapon at the ready. “Right on schedule,” he taunted. 

Robo Knight fired his blaster, but even at close range, Vrak was able to deflect the bolt with ease. “Come now, Robo Knight. You'll have to do a bit better than that!”

The Rangers were still struggling with Vrak's monster some distance away, but Troy still turned to look when he heard the blaster fire behind him. 

“Robo Knight is taking on Vrak by himself...I have to help him!” 

“Oh, no you don't!”

The Red Ranger attempted to break away from the fight, but the monster stopped him short, shoving him back and finally using its horns to knock him aside in a shower of sparks. The other Rangers clustered around their leader, standing between him and the monster as he recovered from the blow. 

“That'll teach you not to turn your back on me,” the monster sneered, stomping a metallic hoof in the dirt in preparation for another charge. 

“We have to destroy its horns!” Gia observed. “It looks like they're the source of its power.”

“On it,” Jake replied, and rushed the monster before anyone could stop him. 

Jake grappled with the monster, a seemingly even match in strength, for several seconds before he finally managed to bring a fist down at the base of the monster's horn, snapping it off. He backed away to join the rest of the Rangers, looking pleased with himself. 

The monster laughed. “That was good, Black Ranger. But not good enough!”

The horn that was still intact began to glow, its light spreading to the severed stump of the other and prompting it to grow back, much to the Rangers' dismay. 

“No way!” Jake exclaimed. 

“Maybe if we destroy them both at once,” Noah suggested. “Emma, with me!”

“Right,” the Pink Ranger affirmed.

Both advanced and fired their weapons simultaneously, and both the monster's horns broke, but to no avail. It grew both horns back this time, leaving the Rangers at a loss on what to do next. 

Robo Knight, meanwhile, continued to duel with Vrak, who was putting up much more resistance than any of them might have expected from a foe who was usually so keen on avoiding combat. The monster was serving its purpose admirably, monopolizing the attention of the Rangers and keeping them from coming to Robo Knight's aid. And as strong as he was, Robo Knight's energy reserves were finite, and against Vrak, he was beginning to reach the limits of his endurance. 

“Perhaps you should have listened to Metal Alice when she offered to let you join us,” he mocked. “It would have been so much easier on you.”

“My mission is to defend the Earth,” Robo Knight replied. “And I will not abandon that mission for the likes of you!”

Vrak backhanded Robo Knight across the face with his weapon, the hilt of his sword impacting hard enough to dent the armored plating. Robo Knight fell, and Vrak was pleased to observe how slow he was to get up. Here was his chance. 

Indomitable, Robo Knight attacked again, and Vrak was ready for him. He extended both hands and fired twin lightning-like bolts of energy from them, the trap quickly ensnaring Robo Knight and drawing him in as the energy shorted out his circuitry, leaving him defenseless. Vrak grabbed and restrained the weakly struggling robot, and whispered into his auditory sensor. 

“We'll soon see how strong your devotion to your mission really is.”

He transmitted the signal for Metal Alice to teleport him out and vanished, taking Robo Knight with him. 

By the time the Rangers figured out how to defeat the monster and realized what had happened, it was already too late.

***

When Vrak and Robo Knight reappeared in the underwater base, a pair of Loogies were waiting to drag the new prisoner into the chamber Metal Alice had modified explicitly for him, and to manhandle him into restraints. Robo Knight pulled ineffectually at the chains; his energy levels were already too low for him to break free, and Vrak intended to keep it that way. 

“And you're certain this will work?” he asked Metal Alice, watching Robo Knight warily. “The last time I attempted to hold him captive this way, it did not work out in my favor.”

“I am certain, Master,” she reassured him. “The chamber is designed to exact a minor but constant drain on his energy reserves to begin with, and the more he fights, the more of that energy he will expend. He will remain functional but easily controllable until we permit him to recharge. By then, the reprogramming will be complete and he will obey your every command.”

Sparks of electricity crackled around Robo Knight as he continued to resist, and if Vrak hadn't known better than to expect such feelings from a machine, he would have sworn that the energy drain was causing him pain. He smiled, coldly. 

“Excellent. Begin the reprogramming process immediately. We don't want to keep the Rangers waiting.”

***

Troy spent the rest of the day restless and inattentive. He sorely wished he was back at the Command Center, so at least he could feel like he was doing something about Robo Knight's capture, even though the reality was that he was every bit as powerless as he felt. They'd gone back to the Command Center after the fight and Gosei had ordered Tensou to begin tracking Robo Knight immediately, but thus far the search had been fruitless. That could mean any number of things, Tensou had said. It could mean that Vrak was holding Robo Knight somewhere that was shielded from their scans or that his tracking signal had been disabled. 

Or it could mean that he was offline. 

Regardless of why – and at this point there was no knowing – the fact was that until they could find Robo Knight, they couldn't help him. Gosei had told the Rangers to go back to school, and then to get some rest in preparation for the battle that was sure to come. And while Troy knew there was really nothing to be gained from pacing around the Command Center while Tensou interfaced with the sensor grid, it didn't make focusing on his classes any easier. 

How was he supposed to act like everything was okay when his friend was missing and the world itself in danger?

Emma found him at his locker at the end of the day, cornering him there in her own subtle and delicate way. 

“We're going to Ernie's,” she offered. “Come with?”

Troy shook his head. He felt bad for ducking out on his teammates, but the last thing he wanted to do right now was socialize. “I think I'm just going to head home.”

Emma caught her lower lip between her teeth and looked up at him, dark eyes brimming with empathy.

“I'm worried about him too, Troy. But I'm also worried about you. You can't let what happened get to you like this.”

“Would you be saying that if it was Gia or one of the others who had been captured?” Troy challenged. “Or is Robo Knight not worth worrying about as much because he isn't human?” 

After a moment of heavy silence, Emma replied, “Ouch, Troy.”

Troy ducked his head, abashed. “Sorry.”

“It's all right. I know how upset you are about this. And you're right. If it had been Gia, I'd probably be going out of my mind right now. But that doesn't mean that I don't care about Robo Knight. It just means that I know we need to be taking care of ourselves – and each other – right now, so that we're at our best and ready to help Robo Knight when we get the chance to.”

“I know,” Troy relented. “I just wish there was something I could do. If I hadn't let him fight Vrak by himself in the first place, maybe he wouldn't have gotten captured. And now that he has, I can't even do anything to get him back.”

“You can't blame yourself for this,” Emma said gently. “Vrak sent that monster to distract us – all of us – and it worked. Even if the monster had let you go help Robo Knight, we couldn't have defeated it without you. And Vrak would have gotten what he wanted either way. We can't change what happened. All we can do now is wait. But Robo Knight is strong, and I think he'll be okay no matter what happens next.”

Troy nodded and didn't answer. Emma was probably right – she usually was about this sort of thing – although on the whole it didn't make him feel much better about any of it. 

“You're sure I can't talk you into going to Ernie's?” she said.

“Nah,” Troy replied. “I think I need some time to myself. Thanks, though.”

Emma was visibly disappointed, but also visibly making an effort to keep from making Troy feel any worse than he already did. “All right, but promise you'll call if you need anything.”

Troy managed a halfhearted smile. “Thanks, I will.”

He didn't go straight home, instead stopping at his usual spot in the woods for a long workout that left his body sore but slightly more relaxed and his head a bit clearer than it had been. Then he went home, ate dinner, endured the usual lecture from his foster parents about cutting class – if they only knew! - and went to bed early. 

That night, he had a dream that he was fighting against Robo Knight and losing. His erstwhile teammate threw him into a concrete column; he felt the jolt of pain as he impacted, followed by the unpleasant, skin-prickling drain of being forcibly de-morphed as he landed on the hard, dusty floor. He looked up, struggling to move, as Robo Knight loomed over him. And then he awoke with a start, heart pounding and drenched in sweat. A quick glance at his alarm clock told him it was three in the morning. 

As much as he wanted to believe this was a regular nightmare and not one of his prophetic ones, he knew better. The feeling, the vividness of it, was unmistakable. Robo Knight would turn on them, and Troy would be forced to fight him. 

He just hoped he had the strength in him to do it.

***

It was Saturday, and Troy slept late that morning. The previous day's events had left him exhausted enough, and having his sleep interrupted by the nightmare and its related worries hadn't helped. 

The sound of his morpher jolted him awake. He looked around for a moment, disoriented, and then pulled the device from its hiding place in his nightstand drawer. 

“I read you, Gosei,” he said blearily.

“Metal Alice has appeared on the outskirts of town,” the booming voice of his mentor informed him. “And Robo Knight is with her. You and the other Rangers must intercept them immediately.”

The words immediately pulled Troy into a state of full wakefulness, and his chest tightened with anxiety. Robo Knight was there. But on whose side? He already suspected he knew the answer, and was afraid to prove himself right.

“I'm on my way,” he said into the communicator, quickly dressed, and ran out the door.

***

The Rangers arrived at the designated coordinates to find Metal Alice waiting for them, standing side by side with Robo Knight. Their captured teammate stood stoic and motionless, the usual red of his visor changed to jet black. 

Emma spotted him first, pointing him out to the others. “Look!”

“Looks like he's still in one piece,” Jake observed. 

Troy said nothing. Robo Knight was physically intact, but something was wrong. 

As soon as the other Rangers tried to approach, Robo Knight drew his sword, positioning himself between the Rangers and Metal Alice. The Rangers stopped short. 

“What have you done to him?” Noah demanded. 

“Let him go, Metal Alice!” Gia added. 

Deliberately, mockingly, Metal Alice drew closer to Robo Knight. She wound one hand around his elbow, rested the other on his chestplate. The gesture was both possessive and, in an unnerving way, affectionate. 

“Robo Knight is fighting on the right side now,” she explained. “He is my ally now, not yours. And he will be the one to defeat you inferior humans, as it has always been his destiny as a robot to do.”

“She's controlling him,” Gia realized, clenching her fist.

“Don't listen to her, Robo Knight!” Emma called to him. “Remember your mission to protect the Earth!”

“My mission is to serve Vrak,” Robo Knight responded, tonelessly. “Humans are inferior to robots, to my kind. You must be exterminated to make way for superior forms of life.”

“You're wrong,” Troy said as he stepped forward, anger welling up inside him. “Humans are a part of life on this planet...the planet you swore to protect! And if Metal Alice has brainwashed you into forgetting that, then we'll just have to make you remember!”

“I'm afraid that's impossible,” Metal Alice replied smugly. “But Rangers, you are more than welcome to try.”

It was Noah who moved first, lunging for Metal Alice, weapon in hand. Robo Knight dove between them and blocked the blow.

“Snap out of it, Robo Knight!” Noah pleaded with him. 

Robo Knight grabbed Noah by the neck, leaving him struggling for breath as he was lifted off the ground. Sparks flew from Noah's suit as Robo Knight punched him in the chest, knocking him back toward the other Rangers. Gia was at his side first, asking if he was okay and helping him to his feet, as Troy stepped in front to defend his teammate.

Having taken that exchange as permission to attack, Robo Knight charged his former friends, slashing at them one by one. And the Rangers, for their part, could scarcely defend themselves against Robo Knight's ruthless strength. It didn't help that they were still shocked at being attacked by one of their own. It helped even less that they were reluctant to attack him seriously, to risk hurting their comrade. Even Troy, despite having known that this was coming, found himself in the same position. They were defeated in short order, on the ground and staring down the barrel of Robo Knight's blaster. 

“Hold, Robo Knight.”

Obeying Metal Alice's command, Robo Knight stopped. 

“Retreat,” she continued. 

Again, Robo Knight obeyed. Once he was back at her side, Metal Alice took his arm again.

“Sorry to disappoint, Rangers, but this was only a test run,” she said, resting her head against Robo Knight's armored shoulder. “But don't worry...once I'm through analyzing this data and making the necessary modifications, we will be back. And I don't think your former friend will be quite so merciful next time.”

And with that, they teleported out.

***

Shaken and defeated, the Rangers went back to the Command Center to regroup and figure out just what they were going to do next. 

“Man!” Jake punched his right fist into his opposite palm. “I can't believe we just got out butts kicked by Robo Knight! After all this time, I finally believed he was one of us.”

“He was, Jake,” Gia admonished him. “He still is. Metal Alice just has him brainwashed somehow.”

“Or reprogrammed,” Noah mused. “Gosei...would something like that even be possible?”

“It should not be,” Gosei replied. “And yet, it seems that Metal Alice has found a way to do exactly that. Not only has she reprogrammed him, but in order to make him act in a way that so directly opposes his primary mission, she must have been able to access and alter his coding at the deepest and most basic levels.”

“Can it be undone?” Emma asked.

“Robo Knight's most basic imperative is to carry out his mission. Even his own survival is secondary to this task,” Gosei explained. “At this point, it is impossible to say whether Metal Alice has corrupted this imperative or simply circumvented it. If it is the former, the alterations may prove irreversible.”

The Command Center was momentarily silent, as the Rangers solemnly considered the implications of this information. 

Noah shook his head slowly. “No...it has to be reversible. If his entire system is built around that one directive, Metal Alice couldn't have erased it. He'd cease to function if she did. And it's not like she wiped his memory and started from scratch – he remembers the past. He remembers fighting alongside us. He certainly remembers how we fight. He just doesn't seem to care about any of that anymore.”

“Then we have to figure out how to make him care about those things again,” Gia said.

“Right,” Noah replied. “And that won't be easy. We'd need to get him physically here, in the Command Center, in order to access his systems and try to undo the reprogramming.”

“Which means we'd have to fight him again,” Jake said. “And that's not going to be easy. You saw him back there, he was clearly willing to go all-out against us.”

“Then we have to be willing to go all-out against him.”

All eyes turned to Troy, who had kept quiet since they had returned to the Command Center, until now.

“He may be under Metal Alice's control, but he's still our friend,” Emma said. “If we fight him like that, we risk hurting him...or worse.”

“It's what Robo Knight would want,” Troy said, undeterred. “The real Robo Knight. Like Gosei said, his mission to protect the Earth is the most important thing, even more important than his own life. He'd want us to uphold that mission for him if he couldn't. Even if that meant we had to defeat him to do it. I'm prepared to do that for him. I'll fight Robo Knight...to the end if I have to.”

The alarm in the Command Center began blaring. 

“Looks like you may get your chance,” Jake said.

***

Vrak and Metal Alice had both appeared this time, the latter still pointedly infringing on Robo Knight's personal space. 

“Oh look, the gang's all here,” Jake said. “How convenient...now we can take you both out together.”

“This is your last chance,” Troy added. “Give Robo Knight back, or we take him back.”

“How bold of you to even think that you could,” Metal Alice said. “But even if it was possible, I wouldn't think of allowing it. I much prefer him this way.”

“Then we'll enjoy sending you to the scrap heap,” Gia threatened.

Robo Knight stepped forward. “You will have to defeat me first.”

“And we will,” Troy replied. “Remember, guys – fight the way he would want you to. Don't hold back!”

The other Rangers nodded assent and morphed. 

To begin with, it looked as though this battle would turn out much like the last. Despite Troy's orders the other Rangers were still pulling their punches. And Robo Knight – who seemed to be even stronger after whatever upgrades Metal Alice had made on him since last time – was not. Troy wound up fighting him one on one as the others regrouped, giving it his all, and Robo Knight was still strong enough to repel him. 

“It is illogical to continue fighting,” Robo Knight said. “You are outmatched.”

Picking himself up after the last attack, Troy pulled his morpher and the proper card. 

“Have you forgotten, Robo Knight? Rangers never surrender!”

Troy activated the card and ran forward, the resulting flare of light fading into the gold of his Ultra Mode armor. He slashed at Robo Knight, who raised his own weapon to parry the blow. 

“You've abandoned your mission, Robo Knight,” Troy accused as their swords clashed. “You loved the Earth and you've turned your back on it. But I haven't. You may have forgotten your mission, but I haven't. I will carry out that mission for you, Robo Knight. And I will defeat you!”

He shot a glance to the other Rangers and ran, Robo Knight following close behind. 

“Troy, wait!” Emma called after him. 

“What the heck does he think he's doing?!” Jake said. 

They moved to follow Troy, but Vrak had other ideas. 

“I think not,” he said. “If it's a duel your Red Ranger wants, then it's a duel he'll get. We have other ways of keeping the rest of you entertained. Metal Alice, if you would?”

“With pleasure, Master,” she replied, keying a code into her ever-present tablet. “Robo Knight isn't the only one who's had an upgrade.”

The monster teleported in and landed straight in the Rangers' path, blocking them from following Troy. It bore a resemblance to the one they had fought the day before – same black armor, same vaguely bovine appearance – but with more heads and consequently more horns. 

“Well, you certainly upgraded its ugliness,” Noah joked. 

They powered up into their own Ultra Mode armor and engaged the new monster. Troy, it seemed, was on his own.

***

Troy ran, half following his intuition, half making an effort to keep Robo Knight away from any populated areas, exchanging blows with his opponent along the way. He had never been to this part of town before, this far into the industrial district, but something about it gave him a sense of deja vu. 

He didn't have much time to think about it. Robo Knight slashed and threw him to the ground; he countered with an energy lasso from his sword that briefly restrained his opponent before launching him through the wall of the mercifully unoccupied warehouse. Robo Knight recovered about as quickly as Troy expected – as a robot, his stamina was considerable – but he took advantage of the lapse in Robo Knight's defenses to jump through the new hole in the wall himself and attack again. 

Still on his knees, Robo Knight switched from sword to blaster, grabbed Troy's sword and fired into his chest at point-blank range. Troy cried out and fell, wincing behind his mask. The blast knocked him out of Ultra Mode. 

“Your resistance is pointless,” Robo Knight intoned, throwing Troy's weapon aside, well out of easy reach. “As a robot, I am superior to you in every way. You will be defeated.”

Troy didn't answer, just drew his blaster and opened fire. Robo Knight dodged the shot and returned fire, shooting the blaster out of Troy's hand. Unfazed, Troy quickly switched to the Dragon Sword. He wouldn't be giving up that easily. 

But the prolonged battle was also beginning to wear on him. He had hoped that his own endurance would last long enough to weaken Robo Knight, but that was looking more and more unlikely with each passing second and Robo Knight was beginning to turn the tide. Troy's sense of deja vu became stronger with each vicious attack. This was exactly what his dream had shown him.

Robo Knight knocked him to the warehouse's grubby floor and stomped on him, the metal boot digging into his back.

“Why do you persist?” he asked.

“I said I would fight you to the end and I will,” Troy replied. “For your mission...for Earth!”

He threw Robo Knight off of him and countered, ineffectually. Robo Knight threw him into the column and he de-morphed as he landed. He coughed into the dust, looked up to see Robo Knight advancing on him again. This was just like his dream, but the dream hadn't gone any further than this. He didn't know how it would end. In his death, perhaps. 

So be it.

He struggled to his feet, wiped the blood and dirt from his face as he glared at Robo Knight. 

“I won't let you do this,” he said. “I won't let you forget your mission. I won't let you be Vrak's pawn. Even if it costs me my life.”

And, unmorphed but throwing his anger and emotion into every punch, he attacked. 

He was surprised when Robo Knight fell back. Maybe his efforts were finally making a dent in the robot's power reserves. Maybe something of his old self was stirred by being faced not with the Red Ranger but with Troy, unmorphed and injured but unrelenting. Maybe it was both. Robo Knight fell, and Troy stood over him, panting with exertion. 

“Stand up,” he commanded. "Stand up and face me."

Robo Knight obeyed, and the fight resumed.

***

Vrak had quickly grown tired of watching the four remaining Rangers fight the monster to a standstill. He called the Zombats and directed the monster, now gigantic, on a rampage into the heart of the city. He and Metal Alice retreated as the Rangers called the Megazord without Troy. 

As soon as the creature was dispatched, they called the Command Center to get the coordinates for wherever Troy and Robo Knight had gone, and went there. The sight that greeted them was jarring. 

Troy – filthy and bleeding – was dueling Robo Knight hand to hand, unmorphed and unarmed. It was surprising how much fight Troy still seemed to have left in him, and even more surprising that Robo Knight hadn't destroyed him yet. The Rangers moved to assist, but Troy stilled them with a look. 

“This is his fight,” Gia murmured, understanding. “He knows what he's doing...and he won't let us help him.”

She slipped her arm around Emma's waist as tears welled up in the Pink Ranger's eyes. 

“This isn't the real you,” Troy said through gritted teeth, as much to himself as to Robo Knight, a reminder to himself of why he had to keep going. “Right now you're under Metal Alice's control, but we can change that. We can help you if you just remember your mission. Remember that you're here to protect the Earth. You're still a Ranger, Robo Knight! You're still one of us!”

For a moment, Troy's eyes met the dark void of Robo Knight's visor and he seemed to falter. But the moment passed quickly and he began to beat Troy again, mercilessly. He blocked the last punch, though the force of it slid him back across the dusty floor, closer to where the other Rangers stood waiting. He found his footing and drew himself up straight, fire in his eyes. 

“I won't fall until you do, Robo Knight,” he warned. “I won't give up!”

“Troy's trying to weaken him,” Noah realized. “Enough that we can subdue him and get him back to the Command Center for reprogramming.”

Jake shook his head. “I can't believe he's still on his feet.”

“He knows something that we don't,” Gia said. “We have to trust him.”

As Robo Knight advanced on Troy, heedless of his words, the Red Ranger clenched his hands into fists as something broke loose inside of him. A fiery glow erupted around his body, the feeling of the energy so strong and so familiar that the other Rangers instantly recognized it as the light of the Morphing Grid itself. Troy screamed, his anguish and rage seeming to fuel the light and it brightened to blinding levels, forcing the other Rangers to shield their eyes against it. 

Troy drew back his fist, channeling all of the light into it at once, and plowed it straight forward, a single blow straight into the center of Robo Knight's chestplate. Right where his heart would be, had he been human. 

Robo Knight stumbled back and fell, motionless in the dust. The red-gold light seemed to dance through his body, flickering in sparks around him. He twitched, struggled to raise his hand and failed, the limb quickly falling limp to the ground. 

Troy ran to him and knelt at his side. As he watched, Robo Knight's visor faded from black to its usual red. 

“Robo Knight,” he said, softly. 

“Red...Ranger. Troy.” The reply was halting and laced with static. “I am...damaged. There is a...critical error...in my program. You must...you must...” 

His voice trailed off helplessly. Troy smiled, breathing a sigh of relief. “Don't worry,” he said. “We'll help you. Just like I said we would.”

He lifted his head and called to the other Rangers, “He's going to be okay!”

Taking that as permission, the rest of the team quickly converged on the two of them. Noah began checking over Robo Knight, who seemed to be offline for the moment, while Emma fussed over Troy. 

“That was dangerous, what you did,” she chided. “Are you all right?”

“I will be,” Troy reassured her. 

“That was brilliant, though,” Jake said, clearly impressed. “I mean, using the Power without morphing? How did you even know you could do that?”

Troy looked up at him, eyes bleary but bright, a smirk on his cracked lips. “I didn't.”

And with that confession, the Red Ranger at last succumbed to pain and exhaustion, and promptly fell unconscious.

***

The Rangers brought their two injured teammates to the Command Center for medical attention and repairs, respectively. Troy, miraculously, needed little more than a few bandages and a lot of rest. They let him sleep in the Command Center's medical bay long enough to brainstorm a plausible enough explanation to give Troy's foster parents, then woke him up and escorted him home so he could continue to rest in his own bed. 

Robo Knight was a bit worse for wear, and Noah stayed behind to assist Tensou in beginning the repairs. It was a long, tedious job, but with the two of them working and Gosei offering his expertise as Robo Knight's creator, they were able to undo what Metal Alice had done. When they brought him back online, he was himself again, and fully functional.

He thanked Noah and Tensou, confirmed that all his systems were in working order, asked after Troy's well-being, and then left the Command Center, disappearing back into the city as he always did. The Rangers chose to take that as a good sign. 

There was no activity from either Vrak or Malkor for the next few days, and no sign of Robo Knight either. Life for the Rangers settled back into tentative normalcy, though Troy noticed his foster parents were cutting him a bit more slack than usual in light of his recent injuries. He wasn't sure exactly what the others had told them, and his teammates, much to his chagrin, weren't telling. The other Rangers had also taken it upon themselves to punish Troy's recklessness by being even more protective of him than usual. He chafed under the extra attention, and was annoyed by their reluctance to let him resume his normal training routine despite his insistence that he was fine. It was several days before he was finally able to shake them long enough to get to his usual training spot in the woods.

When he arrived, Robo Knight was there waiting for him. 

Troy tensed at first, the recent battles still fresh in his mind. But Robo Knight looked like his usual self and made no move to attack, so Troy quickly relaxed and offered a friendly greeting. 

“Good to see you,” he said. “How are you feeling?”

“I am operating within normal parameters,” Robo Knight replied. After a pause that was slightly too long by human standards, he added, “How are you feeling?”

Troy smiled fondly at Robo Knight's effort to imitate the human social nicety. “Better, thanks. And glad to have you back on our side.”

Robo Knight said nothing. 

Troy waited, and spoke when it became clear that he would get no further conversation from the robot. “Do you want to train with me?”

“No. I came to say goodbye.”

The smile vanished from Troy's face. “What do you mean, goodbye? Where are you going?”

“After analyzing recent events, I have determined that I can no longer fight alongside you and the other Rangers,” Robo Knight explained. “I have failed in my mission. My purpose is to protect the Earth but I endangered it...and my friends. It is my intention to go back to the glaciers and re-enter stasis so that I can do no further harm.”

“I won't let you do that,” Troy said firmly. “You can't just give up like this; you're a Ranger, part of a team. We need you. And we didn't fight to get you back from Metal Alice just so you could up and leave us. No way, Robo Knight. You're staying and that's that.”

“You are being most illogical,” Robo Knight protested. “What I did-”

“Wasn't your fault,” Troy finished. “Vrak blindsided you and Metal Alice reprogrammed you to do what she wanted. It wasn't the real you doing any of that stuff. If anyone's to blame here, it's the two of them.”

“I still pose a danger to you and the other Rangers. If Metal Alice attempts to reprogram me again-”

“After what happened, I doubt she'll try again. But if she does, this time we'll know what to expect and we'll be ready for her. And,” he added, a grin creeping back onto his lips. “If worse comes to worse, we know I can take you in a fair fight.”

“That is true,” Robo Knight said. And, after another long pause, “I am glad to have you back on my side.”

Troy laughed, the sound echoing through the trees. 

“So, will you stay and fight with us?” he asked.

“I will consider it.”

Troy walked closer to Robo Knight and laid his hand on the armored shoulder. Robo Knight glanced down at the hand, somehow looking perplexed despite his face's lack of expression. 

“I think there's another human concept you need to understand,” Troy said. 

“What is that?” Robo Knight inquired.

“Forgiveness.”

“Explain.”

“Humans make mistakes all the time. Sometimes we make our friends angry or hurt them without meaning to do it. When that happens, the right thing to do is go to your friend and apologize for your mistake. And if they're a real friend, they'll forgive you and give you another chance.”

“Then I apologize for my actions,” Robo Knight said quickly. 

Troy shook his head. “You didn't let me finish. I was going to say, in your case you don't even need to apologize because what happened wasn't your fault. But I do forgive you. And I don't want you to leave. We Rangers fight better as a team. And you're a part of that team now. I'd like to keep it that way.”

“I am not sure I understand 'forgiveness'. But I do understand 'teamwork', and you are correct,” Robo Knight said. “Although I find it illogical for you to advocate teamwork when I remember you fighting me alone and not allowing the other Rangers to help.”

Troy chuckled. “Point taken. How much of what happened do you remember, anyway?”

“My memory circuits were corrupted by Metal Alice's reprogramming. I can recall the basics of what happened, but those memories are vague and indistinct. Except for one thing. I can remember your voice.”

“My voice?” Troy echoed, surprised.

“Yes. I remember hearing you calling to me and telling me to remember my mission. It is the only thing I can remember clearly. I could not remember my mission, so I was not able to comply. But I wanted to.”

Troy nodded, thoughtfully. “Noah said Metal Alice couldn't disable your core programming without destroying you. She had to block it and work around it instead. So even though you had to follow her orders, there was a part of you that was still yourself, and that remembered your mission was to protect the Earth. If that part of you could hear me, maybe it could also fight against Metal Alice's control. Maybe that's why I was able to defeat you, and why Noah and Tensou were able to bring you back.”

Robo Knight didn't answer, and Troy could practically hear his processors whirring as he tried to compute that. 

“You probably think that's pretty illogical,” Troy ventured.

“No,” Robo Knight replied. “It is plausible.”

Troy's eyes lit up, and he smiled broadly. 

“Train with me?” he asked again.

“I am a robot, and therefore do not require training. However, I will assist you if that is what you want.”

Excited, Troy stepped away from him and took his stance, waiting for Robo Knight to do the same. He did not. 

“Red Ranger,” he said.

“Yeah?”

“You risked yourself to help me. ...Thank you.”

“Robo Knight,” Troy said softly. “I'm your friend. And friends help each other. Got it?”

“Affirmative.”

“Good.”

And with that, they squared off against each other once more. It felt much better this way, Troy mused, to be sparring with Robo Knight instead of actually fighting him. He was glad for that, and glad to have his team back together.


End file.
